This invention relates to a method of making an electrode printing head for an electric mosaic printer. The electrode printing head is of the type which has a plurality of juxtapositioned and mutually insulated strip-like electrodes which are supported at least by one insulating portion of the printing head. The electrodes are made from sheet metal by etching or stamping and after mounting them on the insulating portion of the printing head, the connecting webs which had served the purpose of positioning the electrodes during the etching operation are removed.
Electrode printing heads having a great number of juxtapositioned electrodes are known in the art. These electrodes conventionally glide in a springing manner over a substrate (imprint carrier) which is provided with an electrically conductive layer. When an electric current is applied, those portions of the electrically conductive layer which are disposed beneath the energized writing electrodes are removed and the dyed insulating layer of the imprint carrier becomes visible as dots. By means of proper electric control of the individual electrodes with the simultaneous feed of the substrate, desired characters may be composed with the individually printed dots.
In order to obtain an as exact representation of the character as possible, it is desirable to arrange the individual electrodes as close to each other as possible. In order to obtain a good uniformity of the individual electrodes, it is further known to make the same by etching or stamping from a sheet metal by leaving first the interconnecting web portions in place which are removed only after the electrodes are mounted on insulating components of the printing head.
It has been found that even when the electrodes are made by etching or stamping, the distances between the electrodes may not be reduced to an arbitrarily small value, because, among other reasons, for these electrodes expediently a material is used which, on the one hand, has a small consumption rate and, on the other hand, has a satisfactory springing action.